Whenever I travel, I look for a gourmet olive oil and vinegar store, so I was thrilled when one opened in Springfield.

Tantara Farms, 4121 S. Fremont, Suite 116, is a family-owned operation. They sell a wide selection of flavored vinegars and oils — if you don’t traditionally use these, keep reading, because I hope to convince you that you need to star — rubs, tea, coffee, spices, salts and more. The store is named after a family farm in Tennessee that was owned by an aunt who passed away from cancer.

I have invested a lot of money in gourmet vinegars and oils and use them regularly — often as a way to cut calories in my diet.

If I am craving something sweet, I can eat strawberries dipped in dark chocolate balsamic vinegar and get a guilt-free sweet fix. If you have tart berries, soak them in aged balsamic vinegar or coconut flavored; coconut vinegar is delicious on cucumbers, too. A lackluster cantaloupe bursts with flavor when drizzled in peach vinegar.

From fruits and salads to breads, gourmet vinegars and oils can liven up any dish.(Photo: Submitted Photo)

This fare is a perfect solution for someone who struggles to eat fruits and vegetables because you think they are bland. A drizzle of flavored oil on grilled bell peppers, zucchini or asparagus completely changes it.

I use more vinegars than oils because oils have more fat. I make salads with just the vinegars and no oil, so I cut out the fat in the dressing. These vinegars are thicker than traditional ones, so they stick to greens better. They are delicious.

And if you pop into the store, you can try many products before buying, which is fantastic. There are recipe cards around the store, and Clayton Lile, one of the owners, can give you ideas on how to pair use the ingredients.

You can easily re-create gourmet foods with these oils. For example, I love a truffle oil pizza and so bought truffle oil, used a store bought Naan for my pizza crust, covered it in sauted mushrooms, caramelized onions and cheese and then drizzled it in truffle oil. Oh. My. Goodness. It was heaven.

I sampled several this week and came home with coconut vinegar, which was the best coconut I have ever tried (I preferred the regular to the dark). I also fell in love with the apricot and the smoke. Smoke vinegar is great on a rainy day when you want to grill but can’t because you can drizzle it on your meat and still get smoke flavor.

These also help with fuss-free entertaining: serve them as a dip with French bread. I serve them to company all the time and it takes one minute to get on the table and people love it. It’s especially fun if you put out an array of flavors.

They come in two sizes: $8 for small (100 ml) and $17.95 for the big (375 ml).

Tantara Farms has a wide selection of teas.(Photo: Submitted Photo)

Tantara Farms also stocks a large selection of loose leaf teas, spices, coffee and salts. Flavored salts are another way to add big flavors to your food. I bought an alderwood smoked sea salt, which mimics bacon flavor. It’s great on salmon, potato salad, eggs, salad, or tomatoes — think BLT.

So go in, ask questions, sample a few flavors and have fun. I am thrilled I don’t have to travel anymore to stock up on these gourmet items.